Two senior Egyptian officials will meet representatives from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction during a visit to the Palestinian territories, an Egyptian newspaper said yesterday. The semi-official Al-Ahram daily reported Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman will also discuss Palestinian security reorganization with Arafat during the visit planned for the end of August.
| Yet another topic that'll still be under discussion several weeks after Doomsday... |
Egypt fears anarchy could follow any Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and allow Islamist groups to take over the narrow wedge of land that is home to 1.3 million people. "Abul Gheit and Suleiman are due to meet officials from the Fatah organization during their visit... Arafat is expected to send a delegation of senior Fatah officials to Egypt in the beginning of the coming month," the newspaper said. Al-Ahram added the visits were in the framework "of talks between Egypt and the Palestinian factions to facilitate the possibility of forming a plan of national action with full agreement by the end of September." Egypt reached an agreement last week with Palestinian militant group Hamas on guaranteeing Palestinian unity following a possible Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Abul Gheit and Suleiman will also travel to Israel to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to discuss the Israeli plan to withdraw from Gaza. Al-Ahram said the talks with Arafat will include the issue of unifying the Palestinian security bodies into three bodies. |